Truth Or Consequences Ultra

Desert Ultra - Truth or Consequences

The Desert Ultra is a trail race day in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, held November 14, 2026. The event offers multiple distances that start and finish riverside at Rotary Park, which hosts live music, vendors, a beer garden, and food from local restaurants.

All runners cross the Rio Grande and follow a dirt road along the river for about 1.5 miles before turning up a sandy and rocky arroyo to the Aid Station, an ascent of 500'. Course terrain includes jeep roads, single track trails, scenic arroyos with regional flora, and sections that pass old mining sites in the foothills of the Caballo Mountains.

Race formats and key course features:

• 50K
• Half Marathon
• 10K

The 10K is a loop with an out-and-back leg; runners check at the Aid Station then descend 500' back to the finish. Half marathoners complete an 8-mile Hidden Valley Loop with about 1,400' of vertical in addition to the initial 500', for roughly 1,900' total vertical. 50K runners continue past the Aid Station to a ridgeline, traverse a series of steep short hills and arroyos, pass the old Blackjack Mine, and then complete three revolutions of the Hidden Valley Loop for roughly 5,200' of total vertical.

Truth or Consequences sits alongside the Rio Grande at about 4,200 ft elevation, is three miles south of Elephant Butte Lake, and is known locally for hot springs, art galleries, a brewery, restaurants, and accessible trails. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.